Objects to be weighed, such as detergents and confectionery, which have been weighed to have specified weight by a combination weigher, are typically packaged by a packaging machine (see for example, a patent document 1).
The conventional combination weigher which weighs the objects to be weighed includes, for example, a plurality of weighing hoppers for weighing weights of the objects to be weighed, and is configured to perform combination calculation in such a manner that weights of the objects to be weighed held in these weighing hoppers are combined to determine a combination of weighing hoppers holding the objects to be weighed whose combined weight is equal to or closest to a combination target weight, and to cause the weighing hoppers corresponding to the combination to discharge the objects to be weighed to a packaging machine.
FIG. 10 shows a schematic configuration of such a conventional combination weigher which weighs the objects to be weighed. The combination weigher is configured such that a control unit 30 controls the operation of the entire combination weigher and performs combination calculation. The combination weigher is constructed in such a manner that a center base body (body) 15 is disposed at a center of the combination weigher, and a dispersion feeder 1 having a conical shape is mounted to an upper part of the center base body 5 to radially disperse by vibration objects to be weighed supplied from an external supplying device. Around the dispersion feeder 1, linear feeders 2 are provided to transport by vibration the objects to be weighed which have been sent from the dispersion feeder 1 into respective feeding hoppers 3. The plurality of feeding hoppers 3 and weighing hoppers 4 are disposed below the linear feeders 2 and are arranged in a circular shape in such a manner that each feeding hopper 3 and each weighing hopper 4 correspond to the associated one of the linear feeders 2. The feeding hopper 3 receives the objects to be weighed which have been sent from the linear feeder 2, and opens its gate to feed the objects to be weighed to the weighing hopper 4 located therebelow when the weighing hopper 4 becomes empty. The weighing hopper 4 is attached with a weight sensor 41 such as a load cell. The weight sensor 41 measures the weight of the objects to be weighed inside the weighing hopper 4. The control unit 30 performs combination calculation to select a combination (discharge combination) made up of hoppers which will discharge the objects to be weighed, from among the plurality of weighing hoppers 4. The weighing hoppers 4 corresponding to the discharge combination discharge the objects to be weighed onto a collecting chute 6. A collecting hopper 7 is provided at a discharge outlet of a bottom part of the collecting chute 6. The objects to be weighed which have been discharged from the weighing hoppers 4 slide down on the collecting chute 6 and are held in the collecting hopper 7. Thereafter, the objects to be weighed are discharged from the collecting hopper 7 and are sent out to a packaging machine which is not shown. While making package bags, the packaging machine charges the objects to be weighed which have been discharged from the combination weigher into the package bags and packages them.    Patent document 1: Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication No. Hei. 8-1395